Obama campaign tech team wins Webby award

SAN FRANCISCO: The technology team behind US President Barack Obama’s successful re-election campaign joined a star-studded list of Webby Award winners honored Tuesday for “Internet excellence.”Members of Obama’s tech team took home a Breakout of the Year award for a “historic campaigning effort (that) masterfully combined savvy political and tech genius to become the secret weapon behind Obama’s commanding re-election.”Annual Webby Awards presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences honor the best of the Internet.Winners are selected by an executive academy with members including musician David Bowie, Internet pioneer Vint Cerf, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom.Obama’s tech team was lauded for making the Internet an integral part of the 2012 presidential campaign and analyzing data in real time to better target voters. The Canadian musician known as Grimes, who became a sensation after giving her early recordings away free online, was crowned Webby Artist of the Year for tapping into the Internet not only to distribute music but also for engaging with fans.“Grimes has certainly raised the bar for all solo entertainers, showing a fearlessness, candor and understanding of the Web that makes her a true 21st century digital star,” according to Webby organizers.Hollywood star Kevin Spacey and his Trigger Street Productions co-founder Dana Brunetti received a Webby Special Achievement Award for their work producing a “House of Cards” series of shows streamed exclusively on Netflix.Trigger Street also produced “The Social Network” film telling a tale of the genesis of Facebook.Spacey and Brunetti “brought the story of Facebook to the big screen with ‘The Social Network’ and are now at the forefront of a revolution to bring quality content to screens of all shapes and sizes,” Webby organizers said.Comedian Jerry Seinfeld was awarded a Webby for Outstanding Comedic Performance in the Web series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” while hip-hop music star Frank Ocean was chosen Webby Person of the Year.–AFP